David Tennant, the outgoing star of Doctor Who, has a chance to make himself known to a broader American audience in the lead role of the NBC pilot, Rex Is Not Your Lawyer.

The basic idea is that Rex Alexander (Tennant) is a really great lawyer, but he suffers from panic attacks--so he ends up coaching clients to represent themselves in court. Wacky! Tennant's casting is being likened to that of fellow Brit Hugh Laurie, who after being cast on House went from a cult favorite in America (from several British hits including Jeeves & Wooster) to a huge American star.

The creative team backing Tennant is led by writers Andrew Leeds (more visible as an actor--he was recently seen on House) and David Lampson (together they created Stephen's Life, the winning entry on Bravo's reality series Situation: Comedy in 2005). More promising is tapping of David Semel to direct (he directed the excellent pilots for Heroes and Life). The showrunner is the seasoned executive producer Barry Schindel (Numb3rs, Castle, Law & Order). The project has been in development since 2007.

Meanwhile, the three final David Tennant Doctor Who specials will air soon in the United States, starting with "Waters of Mars" on Dec. 19.

MOVIES--Opening this week:

• 2012 (2009). Having tried to create mindless blockbuster spectacle at the dawn of humanity with 10,000 BC and natural catacylsm (The Day After Tomorrow), director Roland Emmerich (Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla) now tries for another world-smash, this time picking up the myth that Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012. Synopsis: An epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. Directed by Roland Emmerich. Starring John Cusack (Jackson Curtis), Amanda Peet (Kate Curtis), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Adrian Helmsley), Thandie Newton (Laura Wilson), Oliver Platt (Carl Anheuser), Tom McCarthy (Gordon Silberman), Woody Harrelson (Charlie Frost), Danny Glover (President Thomas Wilson).
  -- Trailers, clips, and video for 2012.
  

HOME VIDEO--Out on DVD this week:

• Up (2009). Not as amazing as other Pixar films, but a fun movie with some very cute moments. Synopsis: Before they can take him to a retirement home, Carl and his house fly away, accidentally bringing with him an 8 year old stowaway named Russell. Together, they embark in an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain, and a rare bird named Kevin. Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson. Starring Ed Asner (Carl Fredricksen (voice)), Christopher Plummer (Charles Muntz (voice)), Jordan Nagai (Russell (voice)).
  -- Compare prices on Up.
  -- Trailers, clips, and video for Up.
  -- Movie Review of Up.
  

TELEVISION—New episodes this week from:

• Heroes,
• V: The Series,
• FlashForward,
• Vampire Diaries,
• Fringe,
• Supernatural,
• Ghost Whisperer,
• Smallville,
• Medium,
• Stargate Universe,
• Sanctuary,
• Legend of the Seeker, and
• The Prisoner.

Guest stars this week include Alan Tudyk, carrying over his guest shot from the pilot, on V; Perrey Reeves (Entourage) on Ghost Whisperer); Amy Pietz (Aliens in America) on Medium; Emily Perkins (Da Vinci's Inquest) and Chuck Benedict return as superfan Becky and the Prophet Chuck on Supernatural; and Matt Davis (Legally Blonde) on Vampire Diaries.

Synopses below the jump. For details see the listings (regular or alphabetical). Read more...

AMC has exclusively passed along this little teaser of Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen in their six-part miniseries remake of The Prisoner, which debuts on Nov. 15.

In "Fear," a 30-second preview clip, Six (Caviezel) and Two (McKellen) talk about the relationship between fear and guilt, as Six investigates the extent to which he's being watched.

Although it's brief, already here we get a glimpse of how Six will get sucked into the psychological horror of realizing that his everyday life is a sham—that he is in fact a prisoner, without knowing how, or why. These production stills, in addition to Caviezel and McKellen, also include Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). So far, so good. McKellen has a flair for circumspect villainy, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he toys with poor Six.

The Prisoner premieres on Sun., Nov. 15. It will air over three consecutive nights, with two episodes each evening.